Electronic products have become an integral part of our daily lives. This has created a consistent if not increasing expectation for new features, higher speed, more data, improved portability, etc. These demands have driven the development of electronic technology to reduce size, improve utility, and increase performance of the integrated circuit devices in an ever-increasing range of products such as cell phones, music players, televisions, and automobiles.
Packages of components such as semiconductor circuits, transistors, diodes, and other electronic devices must also become smaller and thinner with more functions and connections. In packaging components, the need for connecting leads largely influences package dimensions.
Lead frame packaging relies on spacing between connecting leads of a lead frame to be very small in order to connect a device having many signal pins. Width or thickness of each lead should also be reduced but leads bend easily causing unwanted open or short circuits. Unfortunately, package size is often relegated to relatively large dimensions and spacing.
Thus, a need still remains for improving numbers of leads, compatibility, flexibility, reliability, yield, and manufacturing throughput to control costs and improve performance in systems for integrated circuit packages. In view of the increasing demand for smaller electronic devices, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. In view of the ever-increasing commercial competitive pressures, along with growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace, it is critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.